1957 Fiat 1200

The Fiat 1200 was introduced at the Torino Motor Show in November 1957 as a replacement for the Fiat 1100 TV, or Turismo Veloce, and designed under Fabio Luigi Rapi, director of Fiat's Dipartimento Carrozzerie Derivate e Speciali. The unibody Fiat 100 four-door sedan was built from 1953 through 1960 with over 2,168,800 units built, helping to put Italy's middle class back on the road in new cars. Even after it was discontinued in Europe, 500,000 more were built under license in India from 1964-2000, as the Premier Padmini.

The Fiat 1100 replaced the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The high-performance sibling of the Fiat 1100 was the Turismo Veloce – fast touring, or TV – with a high-compression cylinder head and 48 bhp from the 1,098 cc engine (an increase of five horsepower over the base engine). It used a twin-choke Weber carburetor and a higher 7.4:1 (instead of 6.7:1) compression ratio. The 1100 TV Trasformabile (or convertible / spider) was rare with only 3,393 examples built in two series. A much crisper, more angular version was launched in 1959, designed by Pinin Farina. In 1963 it gained a 1,481 cc engine with 100 mph capability.

While Pinin Farina built this first generation of Spiders, he strenuously denied having designed them. Attribution is usually given to Fiat's in-house designer, Fabio Luigi Rapi.

The Fiat 1200 used a 1,221cc (type 103.006) engine and body styles included both a four-door sedan and a two-seat Trasformabile roadster, also known as a spider. Styling updates were minimal, and included front and rear bumpers with taller over-riders, a more elegant split grille, and a unique pair of swivel seats that permitted occupants ease of entry. 1100 American-inspired design features included the panoramic wraparound windshield, a fender hip chrome band, and whitewall tires.

The 1,221cc inline four-cylinder engine breaths through a single Weber carburetor and delivers 55 horsepower at 5,300 RPM. It was backed by a four-speed manual gearbox and stopping power was provided by drum brakes. In the front was an independent suspension while the rear used a live-axle setup.

Production of the 1200 TV Trasformabile continued through 1959 with approximately 2,363 examples built. It is believed that approximately 700 examples were exported to the United States.

by Dan Vaughan

Spider by Bertone
Chassis number: 121166
Engine number: 121670

This one-off Fiat Stanguellini is a design by Franco Scaglione and was built by Bertone in collaboration with Vittorio Stanguellini. Automobili Stanguellini produced a variety of small sports cars and single-seaters using Fiat components and the cars achieved numerous victories in the 750cc and 1100cc classes. This spectacular coachwork echoes the famous Alfa Romeo BAT cars.

Nuccio Bertone himself, in 1957, acquired a Fiat 1100 TV (Touring Veloce) that was factory-uprated to 1200 specifications and then modified by Stanguelling for increased performance. It was commission number 8900 and was labeled as prototipo 8901 and clothed in unique bodywork styled by Bertone designer Franco Scaglione.

The rear tailfins echo Scaglione's Alfa Romeo BAT cars, while the overall shape presaged the Sprint Speciale prototype he would soon design for Milan. Other aesthetic features include a wraparound one-piece windscreen and large door scallops.

This unique Spider, dubbed the Spider America, was presented at the Turin and Geneva Salons in 1957 and also at the Concorso d'Eleganza in Cortina d'Ampezzo in July 1958. It then went to Argentina and was shown at the Salon del Automovil de Buenos Aires in December of 1960. The car was then sold and its new owner drove it for several years until it broke down and was abandoned. Its current owner found the car in 1994 in very sad condition but with all of its original parts intact. The car has been restored to its international motor-show condition.

The restored car has been presented at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2004. In 2015, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.